1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery charger, and more particularly, to such a charger which is adapted to charge batteries of more than one size.
2. State of the Prior Art
An increasing number of battery-operated devices are being offered for sale which can be powered by primary cells (dry cells) or by rechargeable secondary cells. Due to the cost of replacement cells, many consumers elect to use secondary cells and to recharge the cells in a relatively-inexpensive battery charger. However, because of the different sizes of batteries and the different electrical characteristics of the batteries, it is not practical to provide a single charger which is suitable for all types of batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,075, discloses a compact battery charger for recharging batteries of different sizes and different electrical characteristics. The battery charger comprises a housing which includes battery retaining recesses which are sized for a particular size of battery and contacts which are adapted to connect each size of battery with an appropriate charging circuit. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that a different charging circuit is used with each size of battery. Further, there is no provision for discriminating between different types of batteries of the same size. Thus, certain types of batteries will not receive the optimum charge, and some types of batteries may even be damaged by the charger.